Of all the things Los Angeles is known for—Hollywood, great weather year round, terrible traffic—its tech scene is not one of them. But Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa intends to change that.
As the second most populous city in the US, Villaraigosa hopes to attract new entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and startup companies with the help of his recently formed Council on Innovation. The mayor said a successful startup community would attract eyes to the city and stimulate job growth.
As Andrea Chang of the LA Times reports:
The 25-member innovation council, which was created in the spring, is also working with local universities including USC, UCLA and Caltech to persuade students to stay in the area after they graduate.
According to the council, since 2008, 54% of UCLA’s engineering graduates have chosen to relocate. By launching the Edge.LA Fellowship Program, which will connect graduates to established businesses and entrepreneurs, Villaraigosa’s tech council hopes would-be entrepreneurs will realize there are opportunities for innovation in L.A.
"We’re known as the entertainment capital in the world, but we’re not known for Silicon Beach, and that needs to change," Villaraigosa said.
[via Tech Now]
